SOUTH BEND -- Plans for a regional fire and emergency training facility continue to move forward. The project has been discussed for some time, but land and funding were not available until recently. In August, The Tribune reported that South Bend Regional Airport director John Schalliol agreed to donate 50 acres of undevelopable land by the airport and that the Federal Aviation Administration approved the potential use. Now that land is available, South Bend Fire Chief Luther Taylor said the next step is forming a steering committee and finding money. The lead agencies on the steering committee are the South Bend Fire Department and Ivy Tech Community College. Ivy Tech would benefit from the project by providing training for certificate programs and as part of associates degrees in public safety related fields, such as EMT and paramedic sciences. "We're excited about the opportunity this can offer to students," said Ivy Tech executive Barbara Duncanson. "There's a lot of synergy going on and we're just happy to be part of it." Taylor said the proposed facility could become the homeland security training center for Region 2, which includes St. Joseph, Fulton, Kosciusko, Elkhart, Marshall, Pulaski and Starke counties. The facilities will let Region 2 public safety officers do mandatory training locally and can train firefighters from across the country, which would bring revenue into the county. Assistant Chief James Lopez said no dormitories are planned for the site, which would mean people from out of town training at the facilities would need to pay for lodging and some meals in the community. "The training facility can become a premiere site for public safety training throughout northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan," Taylor said. The county has also expressed interest in building a combined countywide emergency dispatch center on the training facility site. Currently, no training facilities exist in Region 2 and firefighters have to travel to the Indianapolis area and other states to do some certifications. "There's just a lot of benefits to the regional approach so we don't have to do this all alone," said Gary Gilot, public works director. The multiuse training facility wouldn't be just for firefighters but can also be used for police officers and SWAT team training. The community could also take classes such as fire extinguisher training, Lopez said. A helicopter pad for landing training, train accident work, search and rescue training, burn pad and vehicle extrication are just a few of the training sites proposed for the facility. A collapse training area would simulate a collapsed building with moveable walls, which can also be used for canine training. Taylor said finding the funding will be the difficult part. Taylor said the steering committee will work with the other Region 2 counties on finding money for the project. State and federal grants for homeland security and airport tax increment financing dollars are two sources of funding the steering committee will look to. The basic infrastructure would cost $750,000, which would be shared by the county, airport and South Bend. Taylor said there is enough money in the Emergency Medical Services fund to cover the building of the five-story training tower. Staff writer Jamie Loo: jloo@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6337